This invention relates to the field of devices for disinfecting or cleansing dental and medical instruments of germs or bacteria prior to use on patients, or for keeping them in a germ-free or bacteria-free environment prior to use, and in particular to such devices which are disposable after their first use.
Prior art devices of this kind include sheaths or sleeves which have pockets that are more or less air-tight to prevent entrance of germs or bacteria in which the instrument is packaged when new, or originally sterilized or disinfected. Devices of this kind are illustrated and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,178,735 and 3,331,499.
Other prior art devices in this general field include disposal pads for sharp instruments usable during surgery, in which the instruments are placed on a foam pad lining of a non-porous outer layer, the foam lining being impregnated with an adhesive substance to keep the instruments in place conveniently ready as needed by the surgeon during an operation, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,882.
Various other devices for disinfecting or sterilizing dental and medical instruments known to the prior art include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,743 (a hypodermic syringe in a cylindrical container having a wad of antiseptic impregnated cotton in the bottom to contact the needle end of the instrument while in the container), U.S. Pat. No. 1,647,637 (a reusable sterilizer having absorbent cotton in the bottom saturated with formaldehyde to disinfect dental handpieces), U.S. Pat. No. 1,496,426 (another reusable sterilizer for dental handpieces having a wad of cotton at one end impregnated with a disinfectant), and U.S. Pat. No. 1,330,460 (a box-like container having a wad of cotton saturated with formaldehyde to disinfect a vibrating device, this one also reusable).
Another prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,758 discloses tubular sleeves to receive a medical instrument, a catheter in this case, the sleeves conforming to the outer shape of the instrument, but there is no suggestion of lining the inner wall of the sleeves with a foam material which can be impregnated with a germicide to disinfect the instrument while it is awaiting use, after which the tubular sleeve is discarded.
None of the prior art devices provide a convenient disposable means of disinfecting a dental or medical instrument while being stored in between uses of the instrument, means which is flexible having a foam lined interior capable of receiving instruments of various exterior shapes and closely contacting the entire exterior surface areas of such instruments received therein, the foam lining being impregnated with fresh germicide material to disinfect the entire exterior surface areas of the instruments while remaining in the sleeve awaiting use.